The present invention relates to a port assembly. In particular, the present invention relates to a barrier isolator port assembly that provides a means for transferring material between two enclosures isolated from an external environment.
A conventional manner in which transfer between two isolated enclosures is accomplished is shown in FIG. 1. In this example, the contents of a first isolated enclosure 1010 are transferred to a second isolated enclosure 1012 via a docking assembly. The docking assembly includes a docking port 1014 configured on the second isolated enclosure 1012 and a port assembly 1016 that is attached to a container, such as a bag 1018. As used in the relevant industries, the docking port 1014 is commonly referred to as the “alpha” side while the port assembly 1016 is referred to as the “beta” side. To effectuate a transfer of the contents of the first isolated enclosure 1010 to the second isolated enclosure 1012, the port assembly 1016 is docked with the docking port 1014, as shown in FIG. 1, step 2. When docked, the docking port 1014 and port assembly 1016 have respective doors that are connected to form a hermetically sealed enclosure enclosing their respective outside surfaces such that the outside surfaces can be isolated from the internal environment of the isolated enclosures 1010, 1012. Thereafter, the respective doors of the docking assembly are removed or at least moved out of the way and a passageway is opened and the contents of the first isolated enclosure 1010 can pass through the docking assembly to the interior of the second isolated enclosure 1012, as shown in FIG. 1, step 3.
Critical to the success of such transfer means is the docking assembly itself, i.e., the port assembly 1016 and docking port 1014. U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,207 ('207 patent) discloses a conventional joining and sealing device (i.e., a port assembly) for use with such docking assemblies. However, the device of the '207 patent has limited utility in that it is a single use device that cannot be used more than once to transfer material between enclosures. As such, there is a need for a joining and sealing device that can provide a means for transferring or manipulating material between two enclosures isolated from an external environment that can be used multiple times while being cost effective and economical.